Peruvian prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation against former congresswoman Kelly Portalatino after she collided with an electric bicycle rider in Cercado de Lima.
The former lawmaker remains held in police custody under flagrant detention at the Monserrat Police Station following the incident. Meanwhile, the injured cyclist, identified as 48-year-old Frank Espinoza Maurtua, is hospitalised at the Aviva Clinic after suffering a spinal fracture in the crash.
Prosecutor Berenice Romero Ohama, leading the First Corporate Penal Prosecutor's Office of Cercado de Lima-Breña-Rímac-Jesús María, initiated the preliminary probe into alleged negligent injury. As part of the initial proceedings, the prosecutor ordered blood alcohol testing for Portalatino, a formal medico-legal evaluation for Espinoza Maurtua, and official statements from the responding police officers.
Romero Ohama also directed law enforcement authorities to review security camera footage from surveillance devices located at the intersection of Pacasmayo Avenue and Guillermo Dansey Street to clarify the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The crash occurred on September 1 at approximately 2:30 p.m. while Portalatino was driving a white Dongfeng SUV through the central Lima intersection. A police officer patrolling the area discovered the injured cyclist lying on the road and requested assistance from municipal security officers to transport him to the Aviva Clinic.
Police statements and impounded vehicles
In her statement to law enforcement officers, Portalatino said that she was making a turn from Guillermo Dansey Street onto Pacasmayo Avenue when she felt an impact on her front right wheel. She told police that upon getting out of her car, she found the cyclist lying on the asphalt.
Following the incident, police officers retained Portalatino's national identity document, driver's licence, vehicle keys, and permit for tinted windows. Both Espinoza Maurtua's Monark electric bicycle and Portalatino's SUV were impounded and taken to the Monserrat Police Station as authorities continue their investigation to establish responsibility.
Background and previous traffic fines
Kelly Portalatino is a Peruvian medical doctor and politician who served as a Member of the Congress of the Republic of Peru representing the left-wing Perú Libre party. She also previously served as Peru's Minister of Health in 2022 during the administration of former President Pedro Castillo.
Cercado de Lima is the central historical district of the Peruvian capital, encompassing primary transit arteries and government quarters. In Peru, serious traffic incidents are processed by local district police stations, such as the Monserrat station, in coordination with serenazgo, the municipal security patrol service responsible for emergency response.
The preliminary investigation follows previous traffic infractions recorded against the former lawmaker. On June 10, Portalatino was sanctioned for driving at a speed exceeding the permitted limit, an infraction categorized under Peruvian traffic regulations as very serious.
The speeding infraction carried a fine of 1,320 Peruvian soles, which official records show remains unpaid as prosecutors move forward with their preliminary investigation into the collision.
